La Rochelle: a Fortified City

It took place between 1627 and 1628 and was finally won by Louis XIII and his prime minister, Richelieu. The port city was almost destroyed but eventually came to be saved. Its position as a stronghold was then made even stronger. Let's take a look at the defense system of La Rochelle.

Since the 12th century, the port of La Rochelle has been the most important port on the European Atlantic coast.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, it was the port through which the Templars and their wealth passed.
With the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England, the city came under the English flag and hence benefited from privileged trade with the countries of Northern Europe.

The first Lantern Tower was built during the reign of Jean Sans Terre, between 1199 and 1209.
His captain had to disarm the ships before they entered the port.
This primitive tower was encircled with a new tower in the 15th century and topped with a Gothic spire. A curtain wall connects it to the Chain Tower.
The Lantern Tower was also used as a prison over the centuries and is now famous for over 600 works of graffiti that cover its walls.

The Saint-Nicolas Tower and the Chain Tower were built in the 14th century to serve as watchtowers and to block the port.
As the name Chain Tower indicates, a chain stretched between the two towers. This prevented ships from entering the port while their goods were being checked and the octroi was being collected.

Because of the tide, the Old Port of La Rochelle cannot accommodate large commercial ships. These ships anchored offshore while their goods were unloaded by vessels with shallower drafts.

Directly overlooking the Old Port, the Clock Tower, known as the Grosse Horloge, forms part of the earliest fortifications of the city, built in the 13th century.
Over the centuries, it has been embellished with various bell towers. The latest dates from 1746 and can still be admired today.

It was within the framework of this defense system that the Maubec Gate was created in 1611.
It used to form part of the Saint-Louis Hospital and had disappeared in the 19th century.

Between 2010 and 2013 it was completely restored, privately, by Jean-Pierre Guémas, co-founder of the Friends of the Royal Gate Association with Lucien Boulineau.
It now hosts cultural events.

The old Porte de Cougnes is another remaining part of the Protestant enclosure.
This door faced north. Although it was considered one of the most beautiful monuments ever built in La Rochelle, it was demolished in 1689 to provide materials for the last wall.

1627 saw the start of the most famous and devastating siege of La Rochelle.
A bastion of Protestantism, the city wanted independence from the royal power. It even declared itself a new republic in 1621, with significant support from England.
Louis XIII could not tolerate such an affront to his territory and he sent his prime minister, Richelieu, to retake the city.
He cut off access to the sea by building a nearly 1-mile long (1,500 m) dam that rested on sunken ships. This prevented any attempts at help from the English.
After a year under siege, massacred and starving, the Rochelais finally surrendered.

After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the wars ceased for a while, which meant there was more funding for military works.
The Royal Gate was finally built between 1716 and 1724, under the direction of the engineer René-Jacob de Tigné.

During the reign of Louis XV, wars resumed in Europe and many enemy sailors were taken prisoner and brought back to the port of La Rochelle. As the Lantern Tower was at full capacity, the prisoners were incarcerated in the Royal Gate.
They engraved their testaments on the walls, like this one from 1746 by the English sailor William Carpenter.

Some also etched images of their ships onto the prison walls.

The city's fortifications were decommissioned around 1900. The Royal Gate has been classified as a historical monument since 1909.

With the advent of cars, crossing the drawbridge became difficult and, in 1920, a bypass was created by two openings in the curtain walls, on each side of the gate.

It became the property of the city of La Rochelle in 1953, but its maintenance became too arduous and the building was left uncared for.

It was on the verge of collapse when it began to be restored in 2015 by the Association of Friends of La Rochelle, with support from the Fondation du Patrimoine (Cultural Heritage Foundation).

The space, a German telephone center during World War II and later a scout center, has now been completely restored. It now hosts cultural events: plays, concerts and exhibitions.

But there is still a lot of work to be done, especially on the central passage of the Royal Gate.

And also at its summit, which is overgrown with weeds.